Method of forming a seal



May 3, 1938. W. M. BROOKS 2,116,338

METHOD 0F FORMING A SEAL Filed Aug. 4, 1956 INVENTOR 12 l MHA/WMM fajs ATTORNEY Patented May 3, 1938 UNITED STATES PATENT FFCE Application August 4,

2 Claims.

This invention relates generally to sealing means, and has more particularly reference to an improvement in connection with compressible seals such as the well-known lead seals.

The ordinary lead seal is usually associated with a shackle-member, taking the form of a cord or a wire, one end of which is anchored or imbedded in the lead and the other end of which is passed through the article to be sealed and thereafter threaded through an opening in the lead. In certain cases, the shackle-member is threaded through the lead a number of times. It has been found that the lead can be removed, adjacent the opening through which the shacklemember enters, by using a heated needle to melt the metal and that thereafter the shackle-member can be withdrawn from the lead and reinserted without leaving evidence of having been tampered with. In some cases also, where the 20 shackle-member consists of a strong wire, it has been found possible to pull the wire out of the lead and to reinsert it without any tell-tale eiTect. The main object and feature of this invention is to obviate the above-mentioned objections to 25 the lead seals now in use, and to devise a method for rendering seals less liable to successful tampering.

In the accompanying drawing the invention is disclosed in several concrete and preferred forms 30 in Which Fig. 1 is a sectional View of a two-part seal before the parts have been compressed;

Fig. 2 is a top plan view of the cup-member shown in Fig. 1;

Fig. 3 is a view similar to Fig. l but showing the parts sealed;

Fig. 4 is a sectional View of a modified form of cup-member;

Fig. 5 is a plan View of the compressible mem- 40 ber to be associated with the cup-member of Fig.

4 showing the shackle-member imbedded therein;

Fig. 6 is a vertical sectional View substantially on the plane of line 6 6 of Fig. 5;

Fig. 'l is a sectional assembled view of the parts shown in Figs. 4, 5, and 6, afterv the compressible member has been slightly compressed;

Fig. 8 is a view similar to Fig. 7, but showing the parts fully compressed; and

Fig. 9 shows a plan view of a seal made according to the present invention with the shacklemember passed through the compressible material a number of times.

Referring to Figs. l, 2, and 3, I indicates a cupmember, of sheet-material, having an open mouth 1936, Serial No. 94,139

2 and an upstanding rim 3. 4 is a member of compressible material having imbedded therein a member to be sealed, preferably a shackle-member 5 of relatively incompressible material. The compressible member is inserted in the cup-member and it will be noted that said members are of different contours so as to leave vacant space between them, and further that a portion 4a of said compressible member projects above rim 3 of the cup-member, and that shackle-member 5 extends freely above said rim. One or the other of the two members is subjected to a slight deformation to hold them temporarily together and in this instance the deformation consists in pcening or bending the metal of the rim slightly in an inward direction. When the seal is to be used, the free end of the shackle-member is passed through the article to be sealed and is then threaded through opening t of the compressible material, after which the compressible material and cup-member are subjected to pressure thereby causing said compressible material to occupy the vacant space within the cup-member and lling it substantially flush with the rim, as indicated in Fig. 3, the shackle-member extending over the top of the rim. By these means, tampering is rendered. exceedingly diicult and, if effected, will leave evidence thereof.

In Figs. 4 to 8 inclusive is shown a modied form of the invention. I-lere, cup-member l is initially formed with a rim 8 that is inwardly bent to form a constricted opening. Compressible member 9 is formed with a recessed back l0 and carries a shackle-member I l. It will be seen that, after the compressible member has been inserted into the cup-member, the members can be held temporarily together by subjecting the compressible member to a slight pressure thereby causing the recessed back to flare outwardly as shown in Fig. '7. If desired, this action can be facilitated by providing the interior bottom of the cup-member with a convex portion l 2. 'Ihe shackle-member can now be threaded through the compressible material and the latter and the cup-member are now subjected to pressure thereby bringing the entire body of compressible material into the cup-shape member substantially ush with the rim thereof.

Fig. 9 merely shows a modied form of the invention in which the compressible material has a shackle-member i3 passed a number of times through it and is further provided with a spike I4. This seal is particularly useful for money bags.

I claim:

1. The method of forming a sea1 which consists in: inserting a compressible member, having an imbedded shackle member, into a cup-member, composed of sheet-material, with a portion of said compressible member and with said shackle-member projecting above the rim of the cup-member; slightly compressing said compressibie member to prevent it from being disengaged from said cup-member; then threading the shackle-member back through the body of compressible material; and thereafter compressing the compressible material to ll the cup-member.

2. The method of forming a seal which consists in: inserting a compressibie member, having an imbedded shackle member, into a cup-member, composed of sheet-material, with a portion of said compressible member and with said shackle-member projecting above the rim of the cup-member; compressing the compressibie member by stages; and threading the shackle-member through the body of compressible material between stages of compression.

WINFRED M. BROOKS. 

